Oregon Ducks' Defense Earns First Road Shutout Since 1992 In Dominant Win Over Purdue

The Oregon Ducks avoided a letdown and put up their most complete performance of the season to defeat the Purdue Boilermakers 35-0. The Ducks' defense led the way, earning the first shutout since 2012 and the first road shutout since the 1992 season.

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning reacts on the sidelines during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Ducks traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana, to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in a road Big Ten matchup, and despite the noise, Oregon had their most comprehensive performance of the season so far, winning the game 35-0. The Ducks came into the game 30-point favorites and played like it from start to finish.

Rat poison. Reading the the press clippings. Trap game. There are a million footballisms that encapsulate the concern with becoming complacent and the ramifications of doing so. Those concerns are amplified after a big win, and the Oregon Ducks had the biggest win in their programs' regular season history last Saturday against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

“Glad to see our guys travel and put a game together. there's going to be a lot that we can go back and look at that game and say we can improve, but first shutout here for us in a long time. It’s good to be able to execute that. We were able to run the ball in the second half. Gonna be a lot to build off of, but you got to be able to travel in the Big Ten. This is a tough conference. Got to be able to travel and go win,” said Ducks coach Dan Lanning in the on-field post-game interview. 

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Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks secured their first shutout since 2012 against Arizona and the first road shutout since 1992 against Oregon State. The defense held the Purdue offense 301 yards and forced two interceptions to persevere the shutout. 

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the offense got out to a blistering 21-0 start and never looked back. Gabriel finished the game 21/25 for 290 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Wide receivers Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson both had big games as the two leading pass catchers. Stewart led the way with four catches for 96 yards. The rushing attack wasn’t prolific, but it was efficient, particularly in the red zone, where it secured three touchdowns.

There was a small glimpse of how good the Oregon Ducks can be against Ohio State, but it was far from a perfect game. This was the most dominant performance wire-to-wire all season, and still, there’s room to grow. For Dan Lanning, there will be plenty to correct when the Ducks “go to the doctor,” otherwise known as their self-reflection period after each game.

Gabriel once again threw an end-of-half interception. It didn’t come back to bite them as the Boilermakers turned the ball over in return a few plays later, but those mistakes are being repeated and will have to be corrected. Purdue had over 200 rushing yards and averaged 5.2 yards per attempt.

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Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne (15) is sacked by several Oregon Ducks during the second quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The defense as a whole had a fantastic performance, holding the Boilermakers under 300 total yards and zero points, but defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi will assuredly harp on that as the Ducks can’t continue to give up that many yards per attempt on the ground. The tackling overall can be improved, as well, as Dan Lanning highlighted in the post-game field interview. 

The Oregon Ducks are steadily climbing and look as dangerous as they have all season. The most encouraging and exciting part about that? The Ducks can play so much better. The college football playoff and, ultimately, the national championship game is the team goal. Now at 7-0, the Ducks are five regular season games away from stamping their ticket to the College Football Playoff. 

There are other short-term goals, such as winning the Big Ten and securing a first-round bye in the playoffs, but the main thing is just getting in. The Ducks are inching closer to that goal and continuing to improve while they do so. 

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